Isolation and Characterization of a Homoleptic Tetramethylcobalt(III) Distorted Square-Planar Complex

Abstract

Homoleptic cobalt alkyl and aryl complexes are extremely rare, limited predominantly to complexes utilizing bulky, stabilizing ligands. There have been no reports to date of homoleptic cobalt species with simple, sterically unencumbered alkyl ligands, such as methyl. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of the homoleptic, distorted square-planar tetramethylcobalt(III) complex [Mg(acac)(NMP)4][CoMe4] (NMP = N-methylpyrrolidone), which exhibits extreme temperature and moisture sensitivities. NMR and density functional theory provide detailed insight into the electronic structure and bonding in this complex.